Objective
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to understand how to mix primary colors to create secondary colors and create a rainbow using water jars and food coloring.
Materials and Prep
- 3 clear jars or glasses
- Water
- Red, yellow, and blue food coloring
- Paper towels for cleanup
- Parental supervision for handling food coloring
No prior knowledge is required for this lesson. Just come ready to have fun experimenting!
Activities
- Activity 1: Mixing Primary Colors
Fill one jar with water, add a few drops of red food coloring. Repeat with yellow and blue in the other jars. Observe the colors. - Activity 2: Creating Secondary Colors
Mix the red and yellow water together in a new jar to create orange. Repeat for other combinations to make green and purple. - Activity 3: Making a Rainbow
Line up the jars in rainbow order (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple). Observe the beautiful rainbow you've created!
Talking Points
- Primary colors are the building blocks of all other colors. They cannot be created by mixing other colors. Remember, "Red, yellow, and blue are the primary hues!"
- When you mix two primary colors, you get a secondary color. For example, "Red and yellow make orange, yellow and blue make green, and blue and red make purple!"
- Creating a rainbow using the colors of the spectrum is a fun way to see how colors blend together harmoniously. As Roy G. Biv says, "I'm the rainbow guy, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet in the sky!"